At age five or six
Curiosity took hold
Drove you to explore
Everything fair game
You created ways to play
Drove me to despair
AHA moment struck
Finally I saw revealed
Genius in you
Mysteries to me
Your knowledge of how things work
Produced summer job
James, I’m proud of you
College years begin next fall
New things to explore
Behind the scenes my primary care doctor was monitoring the action. He noticed that my eye doctor’s concern about a stroke resulted in my appointment with the retina specialist. When the specialist made the call that I have macular degeneration and began treatment, the plot veered away from a possible TIA. My doctor picked up the loose string and arranged for me to have MRI’s of my brain, eye and neck. The results were that I did not suffer a stroke. However, I do have narrowing of the blood vessels in my brain. The next step is for me to see a neurosurgeon.
Up to now I have been weathering this weird series of my having a problem, a doctor making a diagnosis and passing me on to a specialist who instead finds something different and the next specialist coming up with another possibility – twice. The thought of having narrowing blood vessels in my brain begins a new chapter, if not a whole new book. It is scaring me. And my appointment with the neurosurgeon is three weeks away.
My problem with pain from sciatica and arthritis in my knee is ongoing but getting better. I began physical therapy last week. In my assessment the therapist asked me about my recent medical problems. I gave him my litany. When I got to my brain MRI and the diagnosis that I had not had a stroke… but, the therapist broke in and said, “They found narrowing of blood vessels in your brain.” Like this is normal. He explained that they will keep a watch on me from now on to see if anything develops.
Finally things are coming full circle. I think I’m in good enough shape to go another ten years. This One Hoss Shay is not ready to collapse just yet.
July 14 was a wonderful day. I joined the small church where I was once pastor for the 175th Anniversary of its founding. My son, who had spent many weekends visiting me there, was my escort. It was a lovely travel back in time. By the end of the month I was in quite different territory.
Toward the end of July while typing the newsletter for the apartment building where I live – along with the word game ladies and the wonderful patio occupied by oak trees and squirrels, I suddenly saw bizarre forms marching across my computer screen. Upside-down vee’s and scallop-like humps decorated the page. This went on for several days until I finished my task. Then my vision returned to a new sort of normal. I thought stress had done me in. Typing was never my strong suit.
About a month later, on the day after Labor Day, I awoke with horrendous pain in my right knee and down my leg. I had experienced pain from sciatica before, but never like this. My doctor prescribed pain medication which took care of things until the RX ran out. The next step was x-rays and a visit to an orthopedic doctor. He told me that my knee had almost no cartilage left. In due time I’ll be a candidate for a knee replacement which this doctor specializes in. Nice to know but I think I’ll wait. Instead I’ll go for Physical Therapy.
At a regular check-up with my eye doctor I reported the strange vision I had experienced in July. She said if I had notified her when it happened she would have sent me straight to the ER to check me out for a TIA. Instead she sent me to a retina specialist. This doctor diagnosed me with age-related macular degeneration, the wet kind, and gave me an injection in my eye. During the hour I had spent in the waiting room I heard a woman talking about having such injections for the past five years with the result that she could still do most of the things that mattered to her, including driving. Never dreaming that I was about to discover I had the same problem, I nodded to myself that that was a good thing. After I received the diagnosis I thought that I would probably be able to see until I was ninety.
My primary care physician received reports concerning these visits. Wait for the next installment to see where that led me.
Crisp chill in the air
Bright splotch of orange in oak tree
Fall shows its colors
Gears in your mind turn
Creative thinking evolves
Your own signature
Your zest steers a path
You envision future days
My heart swells with pride
I treasure today
Creating Eggs Benedict
Simply sharing love
Tarp covering pool
Lounge chairs stored for the winter
Declare summer’s end
Yet hard to believe
Squirrels still gathering acorns
Fall sunshine beams warmth
Not a bad trade-off
Bright colored leaves and white snow
Will come in due time
Muse has been drowsing
Beneath life’s daily matters
Awakening now
Cleansing rain falling
Breezes create refreshment
Words begin to stir
Family heart work
Enters time of fruition
Now space for my soul
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